Happy...

Cabana wishes everyone a happy Friday the 13th.


And a happy weekend ahead!!

New Pup in Town

We have a new puppy in our group. Meet Ginger, an adorable little bundle of energy!

Here's Ginger meeting Cabana.

And here's Ginger meeting Poppy.


We haven't had babies in our group for such a long time. It's so great, though, because being around the new babies gives me a puppy fix without having to go through the sleepless nights and puddles on the floor myself.

The debate rages inside me everyday. Regardless of whether Cabana makes it as a guide dog, do I have it in me to raise another puppy? I lean one way one moment, the other way the next. I'm so conflicted! But I know there are lots of other in-between options, like starting a puppy (raising for the first 2-3 months for someone who isn't in a situation to have such a young pup), or being a puppy sitter. Good thing I don't have to decide right away!

Sacto and CFR Meeting

At Sacramento Fun Day today, I intended to take lots of photos of lots of cute doggies. But somehow, I didn't quite get around to it. It was really hot and dusty, and I think I was sort of preoccupied and out of it. Here are a few that I did manage to take, though.


Cabana and Poppy telling secrets. I hope Poppy is telling Cabana about the joys of "womanhood", now that Poppy went into season a few weeks ago. Poppy's raiser says that she has mellowed out a ton after going into season--I'm looking forward to seeing if that will be the case for Cabana.


This adorable little puppy is named Rosetta. I asked a lot of other people what their dogs' names were, but I'll be darned if I can remember any of them.


And here's a working German shepherd. His partner said he weighs 92 pounds. That's almost twice Cabana's size. Imagine getting on an airplane with this big fella!!

I got a mixed review on Cabana after meeting with Celeste, our CFR. Unfortunately, I got lost on my way to Sacramento and ended up being 30 minutes late (I drove by myself because my family had other commitments). I was worried because I had a bunch of shirts to sell in the back of my car. When I found the right location, I parked illegally for a few minutes so I could unload my car. A new raiser-to-be came to help me unload my car, and he offered to take Cabana. I wasn't sure how far away I'd need to park, and I knew Cabana probably needed to pee. So I let him take Cabana while I went to park my car. I did warn him that Cabana was a toughie--but heck, even a seasoned raiser would have had a hard time with Cabana at that point.

It was a big mistake on my part. Cabana was, of course, extremely excited by all the other dogs there, being handled by a new person, and being let out of the car after a 2 hour ride. She made a pretty embarrassing spectacle of herself, jumping and going bonkers. The poor new raiser--I hope Cabana didn't scare him off.

It turned out that Celeste was watching Cabana's horrendous behavior! Later, when Cabana and I went to meet with her, Celeste said, "Was this the dog that was going crazy on the field earlier today?" Oh boy, talk about a bad impression. Then, Celeste took Cabana's leash and walked her over to some chickens in a pen. Cabana resisted getting close to the chickens, and Celeste said that Cabana was acting fearful. Cabana was also panting and acting very stressed (which I think was from a variety of other reasons, not so much because of the chickens themselves).

Then, Celeste removed Cabana's head collar and tried to walk her with just the flat collar. After giving a strong correction, Cabana started coughing. Celeste said that this "collar cough" can possibly result in career change.

Celeste said that she knows some of Cabana's siblings and said they are all very high energy. Let me tell you, Celeste KNOWS her dogs. She remembered Cabana from our meeting several months ago, and she even remembered Cabana's exact birthdate! I was impressed.

On the up side, Celeste said that Cabana had improved greatly since our last meeting and that I should continue to do what I've been doing. That was a bit encouraging, at least.

Tonight, I keep telling myself that I can only do what I can do. The rest is just not up to me. Cabana is the dog she is, and she is a wonderful dog. But she can't help it if she likes people and dogs a LOT, or if she's a little afraid of chickens, or coughs when her collar gets pulled. About an hour after our meeting with Celeste, I walked over to those same chickens with Cabana, and she wasn't afraid at all. She went right up to them and acted completely appropriately, no aggression or excitement, just watching--which shows that no matter how many chickens I take her to see in the next few months, I still won't know how she's going to respond when someone else puts her in front of a chicken. It's out of my control--and that's the HARDEST part of this whole puppy raising adventure! (Or maybe just one of the hardest parts, since I'm sure turning Cabana back in won't be a bowl of cherries either.)

Tuesday Topics 12 - Puppy Swap!

Tonight at our puppy meeting, we will be starting a puppy swap. For GDB raisers, this is when you go home with a different puppy, in our case, for a full week. This exposes our puppies to a variety of people, lifestyles, routines, and outings. It will help us to see where our puppies need more work and will also probably point out where the raisers need more work, too.

This will be our first swap, and I have to say it's a bit nerve racking. A couple of days wouldn't be so tough, but a whole week is daunting. It feels a bit like airing your dirty laundry--who knows what issues will be brought to light?! But it's all in the name of learning and growing, and it will be good for Cabana, and unfortunately, good for me, too. (Just because it's good for me doesn't mean I have to like it, kind of like brussels sprouts--although I actually DO like brussels sprouts.)

Morrissey, the golden retriever in our group, has been career changed, so he will not be part of the swap. And Poppy isn't allowed to swap yet, being a recent transfer. So, the swap will consist of Cabana, Persia, Hamlin, Tara and Cherish. Wonder who we'll get. Our group seems so small suddenly!

Any tips for puppy swapping? I know I'm going to need all the help we can get!!